Automatic feeder for printing-presses.



M. BODEN.

5 AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSBS.

L" APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1913. 1 085 792 Patented Feb. 3, 1914. I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1f MT/VfSSES &

MIA/55$; MM

M. BODEN. AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSBS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

M. BODEN.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOB. PRINTING PRESSBS.

APPLIOATION FILED $133.3, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v WW %7 6 SHEETQ-SHEET 4.

MIA/[535s M 17W M. BODEN.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. s, 1913.

1,085,792, Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

1! H IE MHP" w ll Mme-555s I 17WOW'0R s a srmmtmn s mn' msrmss es steam m dal st smash mama-y 3.1911. saw-m. 145,344.

mat-ic Feeders. for Printing--- Presses, of

which the following is aspecification.

The essential object of: this invention is to provide a printingpress with certain attachments which dis nse entirely with the necessity for press eeders.

The hereindescribed invention. may be used. with any press in which the sheets to be printed. are fed one at'a time, and. the

particular form of" press depicted in thedrawings is ofsthe well known construction in which the typeor plates are carried-u on a. horizontally reciprocating fiat bed, w ile the paperto beprinted is held upon a continuously rotating impression cylinder. The blank sheets ofpapcr-araplacedin a pile at one end of the machine and from sheet is then clamped to the impression cylinder and makes a complete revolution while held thereupon, being printed during such revolution, and after being printed, the printed sheet is automatically removed from the cylinder and placed in a pile at the opposite end of the machine. Printing presses of the so-called cylinder type, in which the blank sheet is held upon a rotating impression cylinder while being printed by type carried upon a longitudinally moving bed, are, of course, old, and this invention relates not to any particular type of printing. press, but to the means for convey'in the blank unprinted sheets from the stoc pile to the cylinder and for conveying the printed sheets from the cylinder to a suitable pile.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a printing press constructed as hereinbeforo described; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of such a press; Fig. 3 is an end view looking toward the right in Figs. 1 or 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view on the line 4-4, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top plan. view of the plates and the frame which supports them beneath the traveling carriers, the carriers being shown in dotted lines; Fig. (iis a view at right angles to the view of Fig. 5, the traveling carriers being shown in dotted larged detailed view of one of the mem bers; carried upon the under side of each trayel-ing carrier; F gs. 8., 9, and 10 are,

respectively, a side elevation, a top plan view, and an end view of'one ofthe hollow housm s retained upon/the travelin car riers; igs. 11and.12:are detailedsi and sectional-views respectively, of" the members shownin Figs.'8, 9, and 1 Figs. 13

14- are sectional' views of' the valve mechanism; and Fig. 15 is a detail of a part oi the frame shown in Fig. 5.

The sheets to e printed are carriedupon the usual; rotating impression cylinder 1 which coiiperates. with the bed which reciprocates longitudinally as is customary 1n presses ofthis character. Ihe bed 2 will touch the cylinder 1 upon, theleft-to-right stroke and will be clear of'thec linder upon the right-to-left stroke. If a blhnk sheet of paper be carried upon the cylinder while t nted Feb-3,119.14.

thesamerotates in a counter-clockwise direction, the sheet will be printed, and while the sheet is-being removed from thecylinder, the bed will return to the position shown 'inFig. 1 so as to be ready for printmgthe-next sheet. The devices for keeping the bed. 2 and cylinder l'spaced' apart from each. other during the idle or non-printing movement-of the bed, are well known in the art, making it unnecessary to describe these devices in this application. The inking roller-3-andv the ink fountain 4 are also well known, and are. shown herein only in a conventional manner.

The cylinder 1 is carried upon a shaft 1, which shaft also carries the ear wheel 1. Gear 19' meshes with and is. driven by a gear 5, which gear 5 in turn meshes with and is drlv en by the pinion 6 (see Fig. 1), which pll110n lS carried upon a driving shaft 7. Said. pinion serves also to drive the train of gears 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Power is supplied to the press by a belt passing over the pulley 13 which is secured upon shaft 7, and the outer end, the crank-arm 16 carries a pin lines in this figure also; Fig. 7 is an enl 17, the link 18 being pivoted to the member tion of the cylinder 1 is 17. The side 'frame 19 of the main press sup orts a-shaft 20 upon which the lever, 21 is ulcrumed, said lever preferably having one relatively long arm above the fulcrum 20 and a relatively short arm below theiulcrum, the short arm of said lever being pivoted to link 18 at 22. Since the gear 11 1s continuously rotated in the same d rection, its rotary movement is converted into a rocking movement of the lever 21, and during each complete rotation of the gear 11, said lever 21 is moved from the full line position in Fig. 1 to the dotted line ppsition in said figure and back again to the 11 line position.

The gear 12 (see Fig. 1) meshes with 1; 11 and is mounted upon the shaft 23 u carries the crank-arm 24. The link 25 is pivoted to the crank-arm 24 at 26 and to the rocking lever 27 by shaft 28. Lever 27 is pivoted to the main framework at 28, and at each complete revolution of the gear 12 the lever 27 is moved from full line position at the right-hand end of Fig. 1 to the dotted line position and back again. The size of parts and theirarrangement is such that the time elapsing during any complete revolupractically if not precise] the same as the time which elapses while t e levers 21 and 27 move from full line position, Fig. 1, to dotted line positions in the same figure, this being the idle or nonprintin revolution of the cylinder 1. And when t e cylinder 1 makes its second complete revolution (this being the revolution during which the sheet is printed) the time consumed for that revolution is just enough to permit the levers 21 and 27 and parts actuated thereby to return from dotted line positions, Fig. 1, to the full line positions in said figure. In other words, the impression cylinder 1 will make two revolutions while the gears 11 and 12 are each making one complete revolution, and the cylinder 1 will revolve twice while the levers 21 and 27 make their full stroke from full line position to the dotted line position and back again to full line position.

The blank sheets to be printed are first placed upon the table 29. To this table'the brackets 30, Figs. 1 and 2, are secured, and these brackets, preferably four in number, are each provided with a screw-threaded perforation through which the threaded rods 31 are adapted to pass. A fork 32 (see Fig. l) cooperates with the shaft 28 and fork 32 carries a pawl 33 which rides upon the ratchet 34. Said ratchet 34 is carried upon a shaft 35 (see Fig. 3) which shaft also carries the worm 36 which meshes with and drives the gear 37 (Figs. 1 and 3). Gear 37 is mounted upon a shaft 38 which, by the train of miter gears 39 and 39 actuates each of the rods 31. The pawl 33 will ride idly over the teeth of the ratchet 34 when the aearaa lever,27 is moving in' one dirion, but will ip said ratchet when the lever is moving be required to keep the top level of the ile of blank paper at a constant height. he rods 31 upon the right-hand side Fig. 3 are suitably cross connected by shaft 38 to the rods on the left-hand side and all the rods 34 will rotate in unison. Extending from one end of the press to the other and on each side ofthe press is a rail 78. The rails 78 are conveniently set at an angle of about ten degrees to the horizontal and are suitably supported from brackets 40 on the main frame 19in any desired manner (see Fig. 4)

The press is provided with two traveling carriers. The carrier 43, Figs. 1, 5, and 6, is adapted to remove the topmost sheet from the pile of blanks resting upon the vertically movlng table 29 and to convey said topmost sheet to a oint within range of the im ression cylin er 1. At its upper end, Fig. 1, the rocking lever 27 carries a shaft 44 and a link or arm 45 is intermediate said shaft 44 and the shaft 46, Figs. 1 and 4, which extends from one side of the press to the other. The traveling carrier 43, being secured to said member 46, will be moved toward or away from the cylinder 1 in correspondence with the movements of the lever 27, and the carrier -43 will move'from the starting osition, shown at the right-hand end of Fig. 1, until it is presented to the cylinder 1. By means hereinafter described, said traveling carrier sucks the top sheet ofi of the pile of blanks resting upon the table 29 and carries said sheet from right to left, Fig. 1, removing the same from the pile of sheets and carryln it to a point where it will be gripped by t e gripping or, clamping fingers (not shown) which are found u on the cylinder 1. Said travelin carrier 43 1s not composed of a single mem er but is formed of a. great number of parts, all of which move in unison. On each side of the machine is a rail or bar 47, Fig. 4, and depending from each bar 47 adjacent each end thereof is a hanger 48 to which the rollers 49 and 50 are secured (Figs. 3 and 4). The roller 49 rides upon the upper surface of the rail 78, and roll r 50 upon the under surface thereof, and said rollers 49 and 50, therefore, by cooperating with the rails 78 cause the traveling carrier 43 to move back and forth in a straight line and at exactly the desired height.

Extending from one rail 47 to the other are rods or pipes 51 (see Figs. 4, 5, and 6), p1pesweight. A pluralit of hollow housings 52 are secured to sai cross members 51, the housings 52 each bein provided with U- shaped supports 53 w 'ch pass over the being preferred in order to savemembers 51 so as to suspend thehousings 52 from the cross rods 51. The top of each support 53 is perforated at 54 and a screw 55 (Fig. 11) passes through said perforation so as to rest upon the upper surface of the member 51. By revolving the screw 55 the height of the housing 52 may be determined. In order to prevent screws 55 from working loose, the binding nuts 56, which rest upon the seats 57 formed on the hangers 53, are used. The bottom of each of the several housings 52 is flat (see Figs. 8 to 12)and the bottom is provided with numerous perforations 58. The housings 52 are hollow and a vacuum is adapted to be created therein.

A traveling carrier 60 is provided, which carrier is practically identical in construction with the carrier 43. The function of the carrier 60 is to travel from the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to the dotted line position in said figure, and in so doing to remove the printed sheet from the impression cylinder 1, to carry the sheet from the roller to the extreme left-hand endof the machine, and then release the printed sheet, which will drop upon the table 62 between the guide members 63. The construction of the traveling carrier 60 need not further be described in detail, though it may well be noted at this time that the extreme righthand position of the traveling carrier 60 shown in full lines in Fig. 1 is the extreme left-hand position of traveling carrier 43,-

and when the carrier 60 is at its extreme left-hand position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the member 43 will be in exactly the same position as that shown for the member 60 in full lines. The carriers 43 and 60 are each provided with hollow housings having perforated-floors and the sheets of paper are adapted to be retained upon the under surfaces of said housings by a vacuum. The sheets of paper will be so retained and will be carried by the traveling conveyers so long as the vacuum is continued; but when the vacuum is shut off and air under atmospheric pressure allowed to enter the housings, the paper will be released. By means more specifically described elsewhere in this specification, a vacuum is created within each housing 52 when the members occupy the full line position of Fig. 1, which vacuum continues until the members have advanced practically'to the dotted lineposition in said figures. In other words, the valves which control the vacuum-producing devices are so arranged that a vacuum is created when the parts are at their extreme right-hand position, thus enabling the carrier 43 to suck the topmost blank off the pile of blanks and to permit the carrier 60 to suck the freshly printed sheet off the cylinder 1; and enabling both of said carriers to convey the sheets respectively held by them, from right to left, Fig. 1, the blank sheet held by carrier 43 passing upon the cylinder 1 and the printed sheet held by the carrier 60 dropping upon the table 62.

It should be understood that there is a lever 21 and a lever 27 on each side of the machine .and, as will clearly appear from the top plan view of Fig. 2, the shaft 44 extends the entire distance transversely of the press, being connected to the pivot 46 by two links 45'. The traveling carrier 60 which, as above noted, corresponds in 'construction to the carrier 43, is provided with a cross bar-64 with which the links 65 are in pivotal connection. Said links are also in pivotal connection with the rod or bar 66, Figs. 1,. and 2. This bar 66 extends from side to side of the machineand travels in the curved slots 67 of the frames 68 which are fastened to the machine. The upper ends of the rocking levers 21 are slotted at 69 and the member 66 is retained within said slots 69. As the levers 21 are rocked from full line position, Fig. 1, toward the dotted line position in said figure, the mem ber 66 will be )ushed from right to left, Fig. 1, and will ride in the curved slot-67, passing at the same time from the upper end of the slots 69 toward the lower end thereof.

The rocking of the levers 21' is'thus communicated to the traveling carrier 60, which is'caused to move from right to left, advancing at a relatively slow rate of speed until such time as the member 66 has ridden over the crest 70 of the slot'67, and traveling at a'relatively high speed after the member 66 has passed said crest and until it reaches the extreme position shown in dotted. lines at the left-hand end of Fig. 1. This means for operating the traveling carrier 60 is provided in order to prevent the carrier from moving too speedily when it is passing over the rotating cylinder 1 and removing the printed sheet therefrom. By the time that the member 66 has reached the crest 70, however, the printed sheet should have left the cylinder 1 and then the carrier 60 may move as speedily as desired. The linear distance through which. any given point upon the carrier 60 travels must be exactly the same as the distance through which any point upon the periphery of the impression cylinder 1 will move during a corresponding period -of time. and in this way the traveling carrier 60 will remove the printed sheet from the impression cylinder without any tearing of or pulling upon the sheet.

Suction is created within the pipe 71, Figs. 1 and 3, by a fan'or any similar appliance. The vacuum pipe '71 is connected to the valve 72 from which an air pipe 7 3 extends to and is connected with each of the several hollow housings 52 forming part of the carrier 60. Each housing 52 upon the same are in the full line positions in Fig.

it 1 ,0d5,792

carrier 60 is connected by a pipe 74 to its companion housing 52 upon the carrier 43. When suction is established within the pipe 71, a vacuum or partial vacuum is created within each of the several housings 32 of both carriers 43 and 60.

Downwardly depending from each of the carriers 43 and 60 are hangers 75, Figs. 3 and 4, and each of these hangers carries a roller or wheel 76 at its lower end. Said rollers ride upon the rails 79 (Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 15), which rails 79 aresupported upon springs 80 which are carried in recesses 81 in the brackets 40. The rails 79 are provided with straps 79 which are secured or fastened to the main rails 79 so as to provide each rail with a portion slightly elevated above the rest of the upper face of said rail. When the traveling carriers 43 and 60 are in the positions indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the rollers 76 will rest upon the main portion of the rails 79; but as the carriers 43 and 60 move toward the left in the same figures, the rollers 76 will ride upon the straps 79 and thus depress the rails 79 and all parts carried by said rails against the resistance of the springs 80. When the parts are in the full line position, Fig. 1, the rails 79 will be elevated, but when the parts have moved to dotted line position in Fig. 1, the rollers 7 6 will have ridden upon the straps 79 and thus depress the rails.

To the rails 79 a cross arm 82. (Figs. 5 and 15) is secured and this cross arm 82 pivotally supports the lattice 83. The lattice 83- has ends or fingers 84, the ends of which are above the axis of the rotating impression cylinder 1. Extending from one rail 79 to the other are rods 86 (Figs. 5, 6, and 7), and to these rods stirrups 87 are clamped by set screws 88, which stirrups 87 support adjustable nuts 88 through which the screw-threaded rods 89 are adapted to pass. The rods 89 bear against the under surfaces of the plates 90. Or the plates 90 may be provided with a screwthreaded recess 91, the threads of which are turned in the opposite direction to the threads of the member 89, and the member 89 and the recess 91 allowed to cooperate with each other. The plates 90 are provided with a relatively sharp knife edge 92, and said plates 90 are retained so as to come underneath the carriers 43 and 60 when 1. The device shown in Fig. 7 permits a very accurate adjustment of the plates 90, which must be fixed so that it will be engaged by those faces of the housings 52 which are perforated at 58. The plates 90, therefore, operate to seal the perforations 58 when the members are in the full line positions Fig. 1. When the traveling carriers are moved from right to left, Figs. 1 l

or 6, the perforations 58 will one by one pass over the edge 92 of the plates 90, and since there is a vacuum within each housing 52, air will be drawn in through perforation 58. This operates to create a suction and said suction draws that sheet of paper which is upon the top of the pile of blanks upwardly toward the carrier 43. This suction increases in strength and efleetiveness as the carrier moves from right to left, be cause the number of perforations 58'which are exposed or through which the air is permitted to pass into the interior of the housings 52, depends upon the distance to which the carrier 43 has moved. If the carrier has moved, for example a distance of two inches from the full line position, Fig. 1, only the first row of perforations 58 will have passed over the edge 92. When the carrier has moved, say four inches, two rows of perforations will have passed over'the edge 92, and so on, it being obvious that the number of perforations 58 exposed determines within certain limits the strength of the force which holds the sheet of paper against the bottom of the housings, and as the carrier 43 moves from right to left, the topmost sheet is drawn or sucked off the pile and carried forward by the carrier 43 toward the cylinder 1.

In the preferred form of the invention there is a separate plate 90 for each housing 52. Just as the successive openings of the various perforations 58 in those housings which form part of the carrier 43 occurs as those perforations ride over the edges 92 of the appropriate plates 90, so it is with the housings which form part of the carrier 60, these openings being successively exposed as the carrier 60 is moved, and as the perforations upon the bottom of the housings forming part of the carrier 60 are exposed, suction is permitted to draw toward said carrier that sheet, now printed, which is then normally retained upon the cylinder'l, and said carrier 60 thus removes the printed sheet from the cylinder 1 and carries same from the cylinder toward the left where the sheet is deposited upon the pile of printed sheets.

The plates 90 upon the right-hand side, Figs. 5 and 6, serve to close the perforations in the hollow housings 52 when the parts are in full line position, Fig. 1, while the plates 90 on the left-hand side of said figures similarly seal the hollow housings of the carrier 60. The left-hand plates 90 are preferably set about of an inch lower than the right-hand plates 90, this arrangement being made in order to permit the bottom of the carrier 43 to be clear of those plates 90 which seal the perforations in the carrier 60 at the timethat the carrier 43 and other moving parts are in the dotted line position, Fig. 1. This relatively slight depression of the plates 90 also provides room for the sheet of paper which is carried by the member 4? from the pile of blanks to the rotating impression cylinder. The upper surface of the lattice members 83 is on substantially the same level as the upper surface of the left-hand plates 90, and the left-hand plates 90, together with the lattice 83 serve to retain the unprinted sheet of paper in place for a moment before same is carried upon the rotation impression cylinder 1. The sheet of paper which has been picked off the pile of blanks originally placed upon the table 29 is carried from said table by the traveler 43, but when the traveler 43 has reached its extreme left-hand position, Fig. 1, the suction is cut oil' and atmospheric air allowed to enter each of'the several housings 52. This operates to'release the connection between the traveler 43 and the unprinted sheet of paper suspended from said carrier, and this sheet thereupon drops by gravity and falls upon the left hand plates 90 and the lattice 83, which members 83 and 90 serve to keep the sheet from falling too low and to hold the sheet in position while it is being wound upon the rotating impression cylinder. It should be noted moreover that when the traveling carrier 43 is at its left-hand position, Fig. 1, the entire frame composed of the rails 79, straps 79". cross members 82 and 86, and plates 90 will be slightly depressed because of the fact that the rails 76 have ridden upon the straps 79, and this depression of the rails 79 and parts carried thereupon also helps to prevent binding or locking of the parts as the carriers move from right to left; though, when the carriers 43 and 60 have moved again to their right-hand position, the rollers 76 will have ridden off the straps 79, thus permitting the plates 90' to rise and seal the perforations inthe bottoms of the several housings 52.

In order to prevent blurring of the rinting, it is desirable to use three sets of ousings upon each carrien One of the housings is set adjacent each edge of the sheet and one in the middle so that the housings come into contact with the sheet only upon the margins where there is no printing. The number of housings may, of course, be varied as necessitated by the form and make-up of the matter which is being printed, but if practicable should be ar ranged so that the housings touch only the margins of the paper and not the printed matter.

The valve 72 is provided with a swinging crank 95, and the members 68 carry studs 96 at one end and 97 at the other. When the levers 21 and other parts have moved to their extreme left-hand position, shown in Fig. 14 and in dotted lines Fig. 1, the stud 97 will trip the crank 95 and thus close the valve 72. When the valve is closed the communication between the pipes 71 and 73 is stopped and atmospheric airis permitted to enter through the air pipes 77, through the valve, and farther through the'pipes- 73. This entrance of atmospheric air into thepipes 73 and into the various housings 52 destroys the vacuun' within said housings and thus releases the grip of the traveling carriers 43 a-nd 60'uponthe" sheets of paper which said carriers respectively hold. Since this entrance of atmospheric air into the housings takes place when the parts are in the dotted line" positions, Fig. 1, it is obvious that that sheet of paper which' was held upon the carrier 60 is permitted to drop by gravity upon the table 62, and that sheet which was carried by the traveler 43 is per-' mitted to drop upon the lattice 83, from whence that sheet passes upon the cylinder 1. When the parts are returning from the dotted line positions, Fig. 1, to the full line positions in said figure, the valve 72 remains closed and no air is being sucked in through perforations 58; but just as the parts reach the full line position in Figs. 1 and 13 the stud 96 trips the crank 95 thereby immediately opening the valve 72 and creating a suction within the several housings 52. When the carriers move from right to left, therefore, there is a vacuum Within the housings forming part of said carriers, which vacuum is destroyed by the closing of the valve which takes place the instant that the crank 95 strikes the lug 97 and the vacuum is not again formed within the housings until the return movement of the parts has caused the crank 95 to be shifted by the lug 96. There is, therefore, a vacuum within the housings during that movement of the parts when the sheets of paper are bein transferred from the pile of blanks to t ecylinder and from the cylinder to the pile of printed sheets, but there is no vacuum'whenthe carriers are moving in that direction during which no sheets are being transferred.

The construction'of' the valves is shown somewhat in'detail in Figs. 13 and 14,*Fig. 13 denoting the position of the parts when in full line position, Fig. 1, and Fig. 14, the position of the parts when in dotted line position, Fig. 1. From Figs. 13 and 14 it will be seen that to thecrank arm 95 there is secured a plug 105 which rotates within the valve casing 106. The" plug 105 contains a perforation or port 107' and connected with port 107 is another port 108. In the position of Fig. 13 the plug 105 through its port 107 permits communication between pipes 71 and 73, while the plug seals the mouth of pipe 77. But in the position of Fig. 14, the plug 105 seals pipe 71, while the ports connect pipes 73 and 77. Since pipe 71 is connected to any suitable vacuum-producing apparatus, it is obvious that when the arts are as shown in Fig. 13, a vacuum w 1 be created within each ofthe several housings 52, but when the parts are as shown in Fig. 14, the vacuum is shut ofi. Pipe 71 merely extends a short distance into the outer atmosphere. and thus when the-parts are as shown in Fig. 14., atmospheric air will pass through pipe 77, ports 107 and 108 and into pipe 73 and this atmospheric air will enter the housin 52 and permit the housings to release thenhold upon the sheets which are carried thereupon. I

As best shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a screw threaded member 100 de ends from the cross members 51. A hollow oss 101 is provided which is provided with both interior and exterior threads. The interior threads o0-' operate with the threads upon the member 100 and the exterior threads coiiperate with the boss 102 upon the housing 52; This construction serves also to determine with great precision and exactness the heiht at which the housings 52 are suspends-a from their supports 51' and supplements the supporting device shown at the to of Figs. 8 and 11.

The unprinted bla sheetsof aper are,

at the start, carried upon the tab e29 and the topmost sheetis removed the pile of blanks by the carrier 43-as s'ame' movestoward the left. The pile of. blank sheets should be so adjusted uponthe table that the left-hand edge of the topmost blank is just below and sli htly to the left of the knifelike edges ends 92 'of those plates 90 which are beneath the carrier 43 when the parts are in-sr fl position' its the housings 52 move W a the left and cross the ed cs 92 of the respective ,plates'90 which sea them, the topmost sheet of the pile of blanks is sucked upwardly and is retained upon and carried forward by the carrier 43. This sheet of paper passes between the lefthand ends 92 ofthe right-hand series of to vacuum wi t plates 90 and the right-hand ends 1100f the left-hand series of plates 90 and the sheet of blank paper which is originally below the right-hand series of plates 90, is carried to a point where it is above and rests upon the left-hand series of plates 90.

When the parts are inthe position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the valve will be as depicted in Fig. 13 and obviously there will be a vacuum or partial vacuum within each of the housings 52. As the carriers 43 and move from full line position toward the left Fig. 1, the topmost sheet is removed by.

suction from the pile of blanks resting upon the table 29 and carried with or by the member 43 toward the rotating impression cylinder 1. Just as the various parts reach the dotted line positions, Fig. 1, the member 95 is tripped upon the stud 97, which! operation shifts the valve 1 105 and destroys the e fiousi 52 permitting weaves clamping fingers upon the rotating impression cylinder 1, and the sheet, while held upon said fingers and rotating in unison therewith, is printed by the type or plates which are locked in forms upon the reciprocating bed or'platen.

While the first sheet is bein printed, the parts are returning from dotte line position,

Fig. 1, to full line position, and just as the impression cylinder 1 completes its revolution, the parts reach the startin position shown in Fig. 1, and the valve u 105 is returned to the position shown in and when the parts make their second movement from full line position, Fig. 1, to dotted line position in said figure, the carrier 60 by suction removes the printed sheet then held upon the rotating impression cylinder, and as the parts move toward the left carries said printed sheet 'from the impression cyl-- inder toward the table 62. Since the vacuum is cut off simultaneously in all of the-several housin s 52 of both carriers .43

and 60, the printe sheet held upon the carrier 60 isreleased therefrom just as the parts 7 reach the dotted line positions, Fig. 1, thus permitting the; rinted sheet to fall from the carrier 60 and rop'upon the table 62. g

It will be evident from the detailed 'description' of parts that the carriers 43 and 60move in unison since they are all driven from the same shaft .15, and at each complete revolution of the shaft 15 the carriers t3 and 60 make a complete'reciprocation from the right hand position to the lefthand' position and back again. Upon the first operation when the press is started a blank sheet is conveyed from the pile on the table 29 to the impressioncylinder and then released as the vacuum is cutofi, this sheet being printed upon the return or idle movement of the carriers '13 and 60. Upon the first movement the carrier 60 erforms no function but when the parts ma e their second movement from fullline position, Fig. 1, toward the dotted line position, the traveler 43 will carry the second sheet to be printed simultaneously as the traveler 60 removes the first sheet which has already been printed from the cylinder 1. In other words, each rotation of the shaft 15 and the various parts which are driven thereby simultaneously causes the transfer of one unprinted sheet from the table 29 to the impression cylinder and the transfer of a printed sheet from the impression cylinder to the table 62. The frame which supports the various plates 90 (which frame, obviously, comprises the rails 79 and cross bars 86) is so mounted in the press that the members 79 and the various parts carried thereupon are held against longitudinal movement, although the rail 79 will move toward or away from the carriers 43 and 60 as the rollers 76 ride on or off the straps 7 9. That is the only motion or movement permitted to the rails 79 and the parts borne thereby. It is necessary for the most successful operation of the invention that the plates 90 be always held in the exact-position necessary for the plates 90 to be in registration with their respective housings 52 when the parts are in starting position, as shown in full lines Fig. 1, and if the rail 79 were permitted to move in either direction lengthwise of the press, the plates 90 might thereby be carried out of their proper positions.

It will be obvious that many changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A press-feeding appliance comprising a carrier composed of a plurality of hollow housings, the bottoms of which are provided with a plurality of perforations, means for creating a partial vacuum within said hollow housings, a plate disposed beneath each of said housings adapted to close said perforations when the carrier is in starting position, and means for reciprocating said carrier.

2. A press-feeding attachment comprising a frame, supporting members in said frame, a plurality of hollow housings retained upon said supportin members, each of said 1101- low housings having a perforated bottom, means for creating a partial vacuum within said housings, a plate in connection with each of said housings and adapted normally to close the perforations, and means connected to said frame adapted to reciprocate the same and thereby move the carrier.

3. A press-feeding attachment comprising a frame, a plurality of hollow housings carried thereupon and movable therewith, a 'uide, means upon said frame cooperating with said guide thereby to control the path of travel of said frame, means to reciprocate said frame and thereby move said housings, the bottoms of said housings being perforated, a plate cooperating with each of said housings and adapted to seal said perforations when the carrier is in starting position, and means for creating a partial vacuum within each of said housings.

4. An attachment for printing presses comprising a carrier, same comprising a perforated suction member, a guide, means car ried upon said carrier and cooperating with said guide thereby to control the path of plates, said plates bein movement of said carrier, a frame, a plurality of lates carried u 11 said frame, each of sai plates being a apted to cooperate with the carrier, means upon the carrier for depressing said frame when the carrier reaches a predetermined point, and means for reciprocating the carrier. 7 V

5. An attachment for printing presses comprisin a carrier, a plurality of hollow housings orming part of said carrier, a pipe or conduit through which the air is exhausted'75 from said housings, the bottom of each of said housings being perforated, a frame fixed against longitudinal movement, means normally forcing said frame toward the carrier,

lates carried upon said frame and operat- 80 a pair of spring-controlled rails, said springs operating normally to press said rails toward said carrier, a plurality of plates su ported by said rails and normally held in engagement with said housings, and

means intermediate said carrier and said rails to force said rails and said plates away from said carrier at a predetermined time.

7. An attachment for printing resses comprising a carrier having a plura ity of hollow housings each with a perforated bottom, a pipe or conduit connected to each of said housings through which the air therewithin is adapted to be exhausted, a plurality of plates adapted to seal said housings when the same are in starting position, means for retaining a sheet of paper beneath said held against longitudinal movement, an means for moving said carrier to a point where the housings are clear of said plates thereby to permit said housings to grasp the paper by pneumatic action.

8. A printing press comprising an impression cylinder, a support for the blank sheets of unprinted paper, a carrier comprising a plurality of hollow housings and adapted to convey the sheets from said support to the impression cylinder, the bottoms of said housings being 'erforated, means for exhausting the air wit in said housings, a

plurality of plates adapted to close said perforations, a pairof rails, cross bars secured to said rails, clamping members secured to said cross bars, and screw-threaded means intermediate said plates and said clamping means.

9. A' printing press comprising an impression cylinder, a support for the blank 1 0 cured to seidl sheets of unprinted open e, carrier oom- F hollow housings and prising a plurality 0 adapted to convey the sheets fi'om eeid support to the impression cylinder, the bottoms of seidjhousings being omted, means for exheusfing the eiir W1 said housings, e,

plurality of plates adapted to close said MM n oee eee intermediate eeiol pletes end-seid clamping members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto exed my meme in the presence of two witnesses. 

